Integrated circuits and integrated circuit packaging systems can be found in a multitude of portable electronic devices, such as smart phones, pocket PCs, digital cameras, location based devices, and other wireless products. Today's customers and electronics systems are demanding that these integrated circuit systems provide maximum functional integration of memory and logic within the smallest footprint, lowest profile, and lowest cost package available. Consequently, manufacturers are turning to three-dimensional packaging to achieve the required high level of functional integration necessary to support these mobile multimedia products.
Various techniques, such as, stacked-die-packages (SDP), stacked packages (SP), and multi-package-modules (MPM), have been developed to meet the continued demands for improving functional integration. Although stacked-die-packaging and stacked packaging techniques can minimize a devices footprint area, the profile height and the package interconnections of SDP and SP methods can become a limiting factor as the circuit density of the package increases. For example, the use of adhesives and spacers within SDP and SP configurations, along with bond wire interconnects to the overlying structures, can cause unwanted increases in package size.
Furthermore, although MPM techniques improve circuit density and package level functional integration, they often suffer from an increased profile thickness, a larger footprint area, and complicated fabrication methods. Commonly, these complicated fabrication methods can lead to increased production costs, which can make a product prohibitively expensive.
Thus, a need still remains for a reliable integrated circuit packaging system, method of fabrication, and device design, wherein the integrated circuit packaging system exhibits a high level of functional integration, decreased package size, and ease of manufacturability. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.